


Two Times Hutch Woke Up

by Curlew



Series: Shhh....Hutch is sleeping.... [1]
Category: Starsky and Hutch - Fandom
Genre: Gen, epidode related The Plague, h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:21:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curlew/pseuds/Curlew
Summary: A completely plotless piece of plague-related fluff. If you like mush and a droopy sick Hutch then you might like this. If not, there’s nothing to see here!Jace is a character I “borrowed” from the wonderful writer K Hanna Korossy.And with  thanks to Paula Wilshe for the applesauce.
Series: Shhh....Hutch is sleeping.... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881331
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Two Times Hutch Woke Up

It was all very strange. Things were quiet and calm and cool. And he could smell flowers. And there was also something very strange about his body- for a moment, he couldn’t work out what it was. Then he realized. Nothing hurt. He felt an overwhelming lassitude, and a low level ache, like overworked muscles, but no actual pain. He lay and savored the feeling. Then, from somewhere, a voice said

“Hi. Can you open your eyes for me?”

He thought about it. Could he? It turned out he could, but the room lurched disconcertingly when he did.

“It’s OK. Take a breath, and things will sort themselves out. I’m just going to sponge your face and hands”

Th cool water helped, and soon his eyes could focus on the face

“Jace?”

“Yep. How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know”

“That’s OK. It’ll come back to you.”

“Have I been sick?”

“You sure have”

“Am I better?”

“Getting there. Mind if I have a look at you? See how you’re doing?”

He lay, letting himself be examined, reveling in the absence of pain. He couldn’t remember a time when touch had not hurt. But Jace was gentle and reassuring as he listened and felt and looked.

Sit up a bit- I’ll help - and I’d like you to drink some if you can. Here” 

He held the cup, and Hutch drank the iced water thirstily.

“Not too much- you can have some more soon. And if it stays where it’s supposed to, I think we can get rid of the IV soon”

‘Can you tell me what’s going on? Am I going to be OK?”

“Like I said, you’re getting there. You’ve been very sick, and it’ll be a while before you’re properly well, and you’ll likely have a few setbacks along the way. There are a lot of drugs and therapy in your immediate future, cowboy. Taking of which.....”

Jace got up and busied himself at the drug trolley, returning with a paper cup of pills.

“Here. These are antibiotics, this is a painkiller, this is to support your breathing, and this is to stop you throwing up all the others until you’re eating again. See if you can take them. You may not be able to, but if you can it’ll mean fewer needles. Which I know is something you’d like”

Jace handed him the pills one by one, and held the water glass patiently as he made slow going of swallowing them. Then he smiled.

“Well done. Bet it feels as if that took every ounce of strength you’ve got, huh? Let’s get you settled and you can go back to sleep. When you wake up again you can have a bath and a clean bed. Maybe try to eat something”

“Where’s Starsky?”

Jace grinned. 

“When your temperature finally came down and looked like staying down, I took him home and put him to bed. I’m sure he’ll be back soon, but he needed sleep almost as much as you do”

He straightened Hutch’s bed, turned the pillow, then tucked the covers round him.

“Now sleep. You’re going to be fine, but you need to be patient. You’ve a ways to go yet”

The next time he woke up, there was another change. The room felt different again. An energy he knew. This time his eyes started to work almost as soon as he opened them-and he smiled.

“Hutch?” The voice was quiet and wondering, and a hand took his, hesitantly.

“Hi” 

“Oh, shit, Hutch. It’s really you. I wouldn’t let myself....Oh, shit......”

“Really me. Or nearly me at least”

“Really you. Fuck me, you’re a beautiful sight. Hutch...I’ve been so scared.....” 

The voice wobbled and caught, then firmly took control of itself.

“Should I call someone?”

“No. Jace says I’m going to be OK”

“He told me that too. I don’t think I believed him”

“Do you now?”

“I think so. I was lying about you being a beautiful sight though....”

“Bastard......”

Starsky looked down at Hutch’s hand in his, so uncharacteristically limp and still, but blessedly cool, and had a sudden overwhelming urge to bring it to his lips. Before he could give in to the urge, Jace came in, smiling at them both.

“Hi, Rip Van Winkel, how you doing?”

“Maybe better? But like I’m 150 years old”

“Any pain?”

“I ache - all over. But not pain like I remember” He felt Starsky’s hand tighten round his, as if he remembered too, and he tried to squeeze back in reassurance, but he barely had the strength. “. 

“That’s good. I want to keep it that way, you’ll mend better if you’re not hurting”

“Can I sit up a little?”

“Just a minute, I need to check you out first. No need to move, Starsk, you just keep holding that hand. Two weeks is a long time with no human contact”

“Never mind that, you quack- I’ve a good mind to have you struck off!”

Jace grinned.

“Sorry about that. You feel better for it, though, don’t you?”

“Hutch, you know what he did? Yesterday he drove me home, all nice and friendly, made me food, sent me to bed, then came in with a hot toddy. Then this morning I wake up to a note telling me that there were “extra ingredients” in it and I’d better make sure I was properly awake before I got in the car”

Hutch managed the ghost of a smile round the thermometer Jace had slid into his mouth.

“Thought you swore an oath about not doing that sort of thing”

“ I did. But I took a special elective called “Looking after people too stupid to look after themselves. With particular reference to Bourbon, hot water, honey and lemon juice to mask the presence of mild narcotics”

Starsky grinned at him and aimed a cuff at the side of his head.

“It did taste good, I have to say”

“One of my many talents. OK, Hutch, your temperature’s still bang on normal. I’m going to sit you up some so I can listen to your back- Starsk, come round and let him lean on you. Can you breathe in as deep as you can? It won’t be very deep, don’t worry, your lungs have taken a battering. And hold it..well done. Can you go again? No? That’s OK- you’re doing fine. We’ll lie you back now”

Jace filled in the chart at the end of the bed and came to sit beside him.

“Everything’s looking good so far. You feeling a bit more like you?”

“A bit. Still pretty spacey, though. Tired to my bones”

“That’s to be expected. OK, Starsk, I’m kicking you out now”

They both opened their mouths to protest, and Jace held up his hand.

“When i’m done here, Hutch has got a meeting booked with two nurses and a lot of soap and water. Then my boss is coming to look at him and tell me everything I’ve been doing wrong for the past two weeks. She’ll probably order a test or two. After that, he’s got an appointment with a 240 pound ex linebacker who’s going to start reminding his lungs how to do their job- they’re working at about 25% now. Then he’ll get his antibody shot, which is not fun and will make him feel like shit for a while.” Jace paused and made an apologetic grimace at Hutch “Sorry- even more like shit. After all that he’s going to feel as if he’s done a 24 hour- what are those things you guys do that make you too tired to be any fun? Oh yes, stakeout - so he’ll sleep. How about you come back about 6? He’ll need the human comfort blanket by then”/p>

Starsky knew when he was beaten, and touched Hutch’s hair very gently. “Sargent Hutchinson’s Busy Day’ he said with a smile, in a Sesame Street voice. Hutch held his hand a little tighter to stop him going.

‘Jace, you said I could eat something. What can I have?”

“Anything you think might taste good that’s plain and simple and won’t challenge your system”

The tired eyes turned towards Starsky with a longing look.

“Starsk- you hear that?”

Starsky felt that his heart might burst with tenderness, and he smiled at his too fragile but gloriously alive partner.

“All right, buddy. I’ll swing by the Dobey’s place and get you applesauce”


End file.
